I can't let this thread slide without mention of Richie Eyres.

The chilling thing is, even though he was awful for us he still made the GB squads.

Also worth mentioning:

Ben Walker / Mullins / Eastwood (for different reasons) and David Bloody Barnhill

Jamie Mathiou ,David Barnhill ,Tuipolotu,Chris Feather .

Why?

He made up for his lack of ability with great work rate and effort when he played for Leeds.

You could also argue he was cruelly denied a Wembley place, even though Richie Teeth Blackmore played a belter.

Anyone remember Goldens hat-trick against Cas at HQ?

As I'm only a young 'um compared to most on here am I allowed to just say the team that played in SL1?

the 3 seasons before that were good and since have been quite productive. It's just that bloody season that Tars my memory.

What, Super Sub?

Yep, he made Wellens look like ET (actually, that might be a bit harsh). However, he was the reason for one of the least PC but, also one of the best crowd comments I've ever heard.

I think we were playing Saints and it was the start of the 1988 season. Spencer started at full back, if I recollect correctly, keeping ET on the wing.

The guy who was standing next to me bagged Spencer from the minute he stepped onto the field. However, the lad had a blinder and scored two (possibly three tries).

Anyway, after he scored the his last and best try of the day, everybody around turns to the guy next to me to see what he has to say. His response, with perfect comic timing, was "Not bad that Spencer.............................for a woman!"

I would also like to nominate, in no particular order, John Basnet (before anyone says it - I know he was alright at Widnes but, he was e for us), Ray Ashton, Richard Pratt, Andy Smith and Paul Delaney. Quite how any player who cannot pass or kick to any great alacrity can play scrum half for a professional team is beyond me.

Just never a big fan of his BB, never thought he was above "average" at any point

Drum Roll please.....






















.....Ben Walker

That particulalar Leeds team had lots of faults and Ben Walker was most of them. However, you simply cannot imagine the gulf in the lack of class between Walker and Rex Turp or Johnny Lyons or Ashton. On the other end of the scale, it is like placing Wellens against Billie Slater.

Having thought about it, there is no way that Spencer was worse than Warren Jowett.

my age pits me from doing that im affraid

You mean sort of brown and wrinkly with very short legs?


I agree that Golden was rarely above average, but we really are looking for something well below average here. Mentions of John Gallagher are harsh. He was over-hyped and never did enough to justify said hype, but he wasn't actually that awful. And I quite liked David Barnhill. Again, no world beater but certainly not poor enough for consideration for the Nightmare XIII.

From the OP's team, I was young at the time, but I don't remember Gary Divorty being that bad.

You've never seen Paul Wellens.....

Agree with all of this. Seem to recall Spencer playing pretty well against us when he signed for Wakey - IIRC he played well in their 17-0 victory over us at Headingley in ?1990. Morvin Edwards was a fine player when he signed for Leeds, although went off the boil a bit before he left.

How about Simon Irving? Seem to recall him being ok in his first season with us but after that didn't seem to contribute much to the team other than his goal kicking. And people whinge about Delaney at centre!

Carl Hall was a pretty good bit of business by the Bulls... And that's about it.

Mathiou and Kirke may be maligned in certain quarters but I'd take both over Wayne MacDonald and Chris Feather. Jamie Thackray had some decent spells in 2007 but his attitude to receiving criticism from his coach stank - look what happened to his career after leaving Leeds!

...He's still trying to catch Ali, oh so near

I wasn't a fan either. It just shows where we were at the time that with 1 injury to our star centre and Golden was drafted in and got a run. I mean look at the options we have now, shows where we have moved onto.

But with Golden he made the most of his chance I thought. He didnt let anyone down and stuck his hand up and hand a go. So to lump him in with a 'worst team' seems a little harsh. Espcially when you compare him to the few expensive wasters that have been mentioned here.

I disagree. His kind of signing was one of a long list of expensive waste of moneys. He was solid in the NRL and I'm sure he was still selected for State of Origin before he joined, so he should the level he could play to but didn't bring it with him. No wonder he only lasted a year with us. I'm sure Wigan were after him after he left Leeds and even they thought better of it. His age may have come into it, but he was an awful impression of the player he once was (from the games I saw him play).

The Gibbons brothers and Jamie Mathiou

1. Richard Pratt

2. Andy Smith
3. Carl Hall
4. Chris Vasey
5. John Basnett

6. Rex Terp
7. Ray Ashton

8. Peter Smith
9. Bob Morris
10. David Young
11. Ian Scott
12. Gary Price
13. Alan Rathbone

I defy that team to beat anybody. Glory days for Leeds were the 80s.

OK, here goes.

1. Tait. Yes Tait. People forget who awful and disinterested he was at the end of his tenure when he couldn't get a game in the poorest 1st team Leeds have had for many a year. He stole a pay packet. Plus, you only ever offer Offiah the outside if your surname is Ettinghausen. Tait was no ET.
2. Basnett. A theme could be developing already with players who were greats at Widnes. Truly ordinary for the money.
3. Carl Hall. Bradford owned us for so long off the pitch as well as on it.
4. Rob Ackernan. He was a Welsh international once you know.
5. John Gallagher. Harsh on a truly nice bloke but he's here because of his rep, his pay packet and the truly ordinary displays he ended up giving from the wing as his Leeds career fizzled out.
6. Chris Vasey. Lovely hairdo.
7. David Cruikshank. Took over seamfully (not sure what the opposite to Seamlessly is) from Craig Coleman. Boy did the team improve........after he was sent off against Saints.
8. Peter Smith. Enough has been said and he won't be the last Peter
9. Mick Shaw. The precursor to the likes of Roby, without the skill, defensive abilities or distribution. Not to mention sending Lowes to Bradford.
10. Peter Tunks. Though long and hard about Sam Backo. Both arrived here because of their rep and failed, spectacularly to live up to it. I also thought "long and hard" might be fitting for Peter, allegedly
11. Mick Worrall. Dougie Laughton was a great judge of a player's ability, sometimes..
12. Ian Scott. I must've told you my takle of meeting him at the urinals in Mr Craigs?
13. Alan Rathbone. 12 minutes, a broken jaw and then porridge. Not the kind of porridge that would trouble his broken jaw either.

A truly shocking 13. I'd frankly forgotten about Cruikshank, but I didn't actually see him play due to work. Rathbone was an initial thought, but I thought at least one whole appearance would be my cutoff.

I did consider Tait, for all the reasons you put down and for the night I saw him in Fox's nightclub laughing and joking after we had been humiliated by Widnes in a CC semi at Central Park hours before.

Think that might be the Regal Trophy final at Central Park you're thinking of. I'm not sure Tait really deserves a place here, he had some very good games for Leeds, which I don't believe is true of some of the other candidates.

I genuinely can't remember a single thing David Cruickshank did for Leeds other than that sending off, which I remember came on the occasion of my 10th or 11th birthday (forget which because I can't remember what year it was). Splendid game.

Allow me to provide my offering on the subject - you might notice a 1980s theme here, but it was a rich period for Leeds RLFC mediocrity

1. Tony Binder

2. Mark Massa
3. David Heselwood
4. Simon Irving
5. Chris Chapman

6. Carl Grigg
7. Andy Gregory (based purely on his Leeds performances)

8. Peter Smith
9. Russell Sowden
10. Gavin Jones
11. Gary Lord
12. Mark Brooke-Cowden (Gallagher may have been cheaper, but MBC equally failed to live up to reputation)
13. Nathan Picchi

It was difficult to leave out the likes of Dean Lawford, Gareth Morton and Mark Campbell (to name but a few).

Whilst El Diablo is right that Tait did have some good games for us it is the attitude you allude to, and one he confess in his autobiography, and his attitude at the end of his career that cements his place for me.

Looking at these teams it makes you wonder about a certain poster waxing lyrical about the pre super league era and the pre super league teams of Leeds RLFC (not Rhinos obviously).

I tried hard to think of anyone who had donned the jersey from about 2003-now for inclusion but there simply isn't anyone which speaks volumes about how good things are right now.

PS, Divorty? Was that because he displaced the tache? Divo was a clever ball handler. You named a good/bad team but I don't like that selection.